U.S. officials are raising anti-terror zeal to a new level of intensity concerning Pakistan. The CIA has known for a long time that Pakistan is a nexus for terrorists and official/military/intelligence elements within Pakistan. The attack on bin Laden intentionally brought this into the open at this time to extend the war on terror further into Pakistan. It is having the desired result as it gathers tough-guy Congressional support for the CIA drones and military teams extending further and deeper into Pakistan, and as it provides Obama with a hard line rationale for heightening pressures on Pakistan. U.S. officials are making sterner demands on Pakistan. They are nurturing frictions. An anonymous U.S. defense official lays some groundwork, reported here:
“And it further demonstrates to the U.S. that top al-Qaida commanders and other key insurgents are scattered throughout Pakistan, not just in the rugged border areas, and are being supported and given sanctuary by Pakistanis.
“Despite protests from Pakistan, defeating al-Qaida and taking out its senior leaders in Pakistan remains a top U.S. priority. That campaign will not be swayed by Islamabad’s complaints that the raid violated the country’s sovereignty, a senior defense official said Friday.”
At the same time, the U.S. actions are intentionally exacerbating the internal dissension and frictions within Pakistan, as shown by calls for the resignation of top officials and demonstrations. The latter article also reports on U.S. demands for the identities of Pakistan’s top intelligence operatives.
It’s no coincidence that Obama chose this time to make Petraeus his new CIA chief. All the evidence points to a U.S. orchestrated campaign, intentionally initiated by the bin Laden assassination, that functions as a catalyst to extend the war on terror more deeply into Pakistan. All of this also clearly serves Obama’s domestic political agenda in the run-up to the 2012 election.
